Responses to Vendor Questions TIRNO09R00051.xls
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| TIRNOR-09-R-00051 | Amendment 0002 | ||||
| RFP Section | Reference | Question # | Question | Answer | |
| SF-33 | SF 33, Block 9 | 1 | Do section L instructions take precedence over SF 33 regarding proposal delivery date and time and the number of proposal copies to be delivered? | The SF 33 will be corrected to reflect the instructions as outlined in provision "L.7 DELIVERY OF PROPOSALS" regarding proposal delivery date, time and number of proposal copies to be delivered. | |
| Current State | Table 3.1.2 --RUP Service Lifecycle Accountabilities | 2 | Does IRS desire the same division of accountability for the future service or are you leaving that to the contractor to propose? | The Government will accept and evaluate contractor lifecycle accountability proposals for new IRS.gov, new RUP, and new EUP that differ from the current approach. | |
| Current State | Table 3.1.2 --RUP Service Lifecycle Accountabilities | 3 | Are there any services that the IRS will retain accountability for? | The IRS will retain accountability for a yearly review of the canned responses and managing POCs on the IRS side. | |
| Current State | Page 20, Table 4.1.1 “Help Desk Current State Description” | 4 | Could the Government also identify the vendors providing the ACD, IVR and CTI capabilities? | No. | |
| Current State | Appendix A, line items 10 and 24 | 5 | Are there more applications this tax season and future tax seasons that will be coming on-line? | Applications may be added this season or in the future; however, Offerors should propose solutions based solely upon the applications listed in Section J, Section L.6 List Of IRS.Gov Applications. | |
| Current State | Appendix A, line items 10 and 24 | 6 | Is IRS building these applications internally or will development of these applications require contractor assistance in scope of IRS.gov? | Refer to the response for Question #5. The Offeror is also directed to refer to the requirements for Application Deployment and Integration services outlined in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. | |
| Current State | Appendix A, line items 10 and 24 | 7 | If these applications are being developed internally by IRS, can we understand what the boundaries of responsibility between the contractor and the IRS team are with respect to on-going maintenance? | Refer to the response for Question #5. The Offeror is also directed to refer to the requirements for Application Deployment and Integration services outlined in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. | |
| Current State | Appendix A, line items 10 and 24 | 8 | If these applications are being developed internally, can IRS provide its license arrangements for these products so the development licenses can be utilized for on-going maintenance of these applications? | Refer to the response for Question #5. The Offeror is also directed to refer to the requirements for Application Deployment and Integration services outlined in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. | |
| Current State | Appendix A, 10-39 | 9 | Does the commercial software listed in this table represent a comprehensive list? If not, can a software inventory be provided to supply the bidders sufficient information to size the environment? Information needed includes: Software Vendor, Software Product Name, Version and the server models (including number of CPUs and cores) and where the software is installed. | Yes, this is the complete list of applications on IRS.gov with their description, lines of code, O/S, DB Server, Application Server, Web Server, FTP Server and Application Component at the time of this RFP release. Refer to the IRS.gov Current State Description table in the current state document for the complete list of commercial software. The version and the server models (including number of CPUs and cores) and where the software is installed information is not publicly available due to the security sensitivity. | |
| Section B | B.7 Most Favored Customer and Price Reductions | 10 | For other than the Prime, would the government consider 1) a mandatory flowdown of B.7 to all teaming partners and subcontractors; and 2) an annual certification of full compliance to their Prime as adequate? | The prime contractor should meet the terms and conditions of the contract which include B.7, "Most Favored Customer and Price Reductions". It is up to the prime to determine how they will enforce "B.7" with their subcontractors or teaming partners. All terms and conditions of the contract should flow down to all subcontractors and teaming partners. | |
| Section B | Reference: B.2 Type of Contract | 11 | Has the government determined the percentages it attends to achieve with each type of contract type? (e.g. 50% of the awards will be FFP) | No, the Government has not determined the percentage of contract it intends to achieve with the various contract types; however, the Government intends to focus on awarding primarily firm-fixed price task orders. | |
| Section B | B.7 Most Favored Customer and Price Reductions | 12 | Can the government provide examples of instanced where there may be a solution that may result in an incompatibility with other IRS systems? | The Government's concern here is the possibility that a system component change motivated by potential price reductions could impact end-to-end system integrity. For example, in some cases, the impact of a COTS product upgrade must be analyzed and tested at each IRS system integration point to ensure proper on-going operation. | |
| Section B | B.7 Most Favored Customer and Price Reductions | 13 | Assuming this price reduction clause is an opportunity to provide pricing contracts that reduce costs over time is the IRS willing to outline more specific historical expenditures on Portal initiatives to date? | No. | |
| Section B | B.3 Overview of Pricing | 14 | Does this solicitation expect the “pricing-model” to cover both EUP and RUP in addition to PUP over a 10 year period? Or would it make more sense to create a new pricing model when the EUP and RUP requirements / infrastructure / technologies are provided by the IRS? | Section J's attachments Price Book (B.1) and Labor Category Description (B.2) should include expected EUP and RUP pricing elements based on requirements contained in the Statement of Objectives. After this contract is awarded, Price Book (B.1) and Labor Category Description elements may be updated as more detailed EUP and RUP requirements become available. | |
| Section B | B.2 Type of Contract | 15 | How would the IRS want the Costing-Volume to address a five year plan whereas the TO's expire much before that? For instance, for the Government, it makes sense to have the Operations aspect of the TO to amortize over a period of 3-5 years AFTER Build and Deploy Phases have been completed. The current PUP TO has "Operations Pricing" included in it and the TO is stated to expire in 2012. | The Offeror should propose for the period of performance as outlined in the task order, which is a base year and two one-year option periods. | |
| Section B | B.7 Most Favored Customer and Price Reductions | 16 | Will the government consider deleting the “Most Favored Customer” provision, since adequate price competition is likely to be provided? | No. | |
| Section B | B.2 Type of Contract | 17 | To ensure consistency among Offerors, what are the period of performance dates Offerors should propose for the IDIQ contract? | 10-year period of performance which has a 5-year base period and 5 one-year options. Exact dates are dependent upon contract award date. | |
| Section B | B.3 Overview of Pricing | 18 | Please provide the CLIN structure for both the Price Book and/or Task Order Pricing Sheet. | The Price Book and the Task Order Pricing Sheets are representative of the CLIN structure. | |
| Section B | B.8 Contractor Benchmarking | 19 | Are proposed costs associated with benchmarking reflected in the Price Book? Is contractor benchmarking a separate CLIN in the Price Book? If so, please provide the CLIN | No. Contractor benchmarking is not a separate CLIN in the Price Book. Benchmarking shall be priced out separately in the Section J, Section B.3 Task Order Price Sheet, for PMNI only. | |
| Section B | B.9 Fees | 20 | Does the government intend to provide a CLIN for the Award Fee pool for both the Price Book and Task Order PWS Pricing Sheet? Please provide instructions on how contractor should propose an Award Fee pool. | No, the Government is not providing a CLIN for the Award Fee pool for both the Price Book and Task Order PWS Pricing Sheet. The offeror will not be proposing an Award Fee pool. | |
| Section B | B.8 Contractor Benchmarking | 21 | Please clarify how the Government intends to execute the Benchmarking provision? | As stated in Section B.8, "The Contractor shall propose a programmatic benchmarking framework and process…" which comply with the requirements listed in Section B.8. | |
| Section B | C.5.2.3 | 21.1 | Please clarify how the Government intends to execute the Benchmarking provision? | Please refer to the response in Question 21. | |
| SOO | Section 2, Purpose, #7, 2nd sentence, Page C-5 | 22 | Does the IRS have a specific unit of measure in mind (e.g. time/per month, usage/per user account)? | No. | |
| SOO | Section 4 Performance Objectives, Section 4.1.1 Service Help Desk, 4.1.1.3, Page C-7 | 23 | Is the reference to scripts supposed to be tied to a specific help desk function? For example, is it referring to chat or chat bots supporting multiple languages OR is the help desk resources expected to support multiple languages or both? | Scripts need to support multiple languages for all taxpayer interactions across all channels. | |
| SOO | Section 4 Performance Objectives, Section 4.2.5 Service 6: Application Deployment and Integration, 4.2.5.4, Page C-10 | 24 | Is there a customer requirement for the duration of post-deployment (pre-maintenance) monitoring related to this capability? | IRS makes no distinction between post-deployment and maintenance for this requirement. As soon as an application is deployed to production, this monitoring is required and continues throughout the life of the application. | |
| SOO | Paragraph(s) 4.1.1, Page(s) C-7 | 25 | What languages are required for person-to-person communications for initial transition of IRS.Gov? What languages are supported on the current PUP? | Refer to the requirements as stated in Section 2.1.1.2 in Section J, Section L.2 Attachment - Website Help Desk Task Order Performance Work Statement. | |
| SOO | Paragraph(s) 4.1.1.3, Page(s) C-7 | 26 | Does the IRS foresee that the Help desk agents (representatives) are required to use Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Russian languages when dealing with public? If yes, would the Government provide average annual call volumes for these languages? | Yes, refer to Section 4.1.1.3 in Section C, Statement of Objectives, page C-7, of the Managed Services for IRS Enterprise Portals Solicitation. Volumes are not yet available for languages other than Spanish and English and will be provided prior to the IRS request for these languages becoming operational. | |
| SOO | Paragraph(s) 4.1.1.7, Page(s) C-7 | 27 | Who is current help desk incumbent? What is the current SLO for the Help Desk? Are the current SLO’s being met by the incumbent? | This information is not needed for purposes of responding to the SOO. | |
| SOO | Paragraph(s) 4.2.9.6, Page(s) C-13 | 28 | How many years does the contractor have to store historical data in detail and summary format? | Refer to the projections described in Table 6.1.8 of Section J, Section L.10 Attachment - Current State of the Portals and Help Desk Environment. The Offeror is requested to propose a solution for storage of historical data that is scalable as outlined in Section C, Statement of Objectives. For purposes of this proposal, Offerors should use the retention periods shown in the new Section J, Attachment L.13: Records Retention Guidelines for IRS Web Portal Acquisition Request for Proposals document. Updated retention period guidelines will be provided at the appropriate time after contract award. | |
| SOO | Paragraph(s) 4.3.1.2, Page(s) C-13 | 29 | Please provide the names of the “designated partners”. | Designated partners have not been determined and the timetable is unknown. | |
| SOO | Paragraph(s) 4.3.1.5, Page(s) C-13 | 30 | Who will perform user experience research and usability studies? | IRS will perform user experience research and usability studies. | |
| SOO | Paragraph 4.2.9.4 & 4.3.3.2 (e), Page(s) C-12 & C-15 | 31 | What is the acceptable turnaround time for such data to be available in a Report to IRS after a click has been performed by a user on IRS.gov? | Acceptable turnaround time is dependent upon the proposed solution, and the Offeror is encouraged to propose a solution and turnaround time. | |
| SOO | Section: C.4.4 Principal Work Area 4- Program Management and Integration Services Paragraph: C.4.4.1.7 Page: C-17 | 32 | Can the government state whether the “New IRS Web Environment” should be considered “Moderate” or “High” according to FIPS 199? | As stated in Section C, Section 6.2.1.2 , the new public portal web environment will be classified as FIPS 199 Moderate. | |
| SOO | Section: C.2 Security and Privacy Requirements for Build-Out Phase. Paragraph: C.6.2.1.2 Page: C-24 | 33 | Can the government disclose whether it has knowledge of adding or modifying applications to the new IRS.gov that would change the classification from Moderate to High? | At the time of issuance of this RFP, IRS has no knowledge of any applications which would be added or modified to create a High FIPS 199 categorization. | |
| SOO | Section: C.6.2 Security and Privacy Requirements for Build-Out Phase. Paragraph: C.6.2.1.7 Page: C-24 | 34 | Can the government clarify the contractor’s role in ST&E? | Refer to NIST SP800-37-1: Guide For Applying The Risk Management Framework To Federal Information Systems - A Security Life Cycle Approach, for details concerning the role of the Contractor in ST&E. The Contractor is responsible for completing the ST&E and the Government expects the Contractor to collaborate with the IRS to ensure a successful outcome. | |
| SOO | Section C.6.2: Security and Privacy Requirements for Build-Out Phase. Paragraph: C.6.2.1.14 Page: C-25 | 35 | Can the government share the names of the “third party” developers that the developer guidance package” is intended to support? | No. | |
| SOO | Section C.6.2: Security and Privacy Requirements for Build-Out Phase. Paragraph: C.6.2.1.36 Page C-27 | 36 | Does the government expect the contractor to develop an interface with IRS’ future Computer Security Audit Trails (CSAT) system? | No connection to the IRS network requiring an interface to the IRS CSAT is anticipated. | |
| SOO | Section C.6.4: Security and Privacy Requirements for On-going Services. Paragraph: C.6.4.1.9 Page: C-36 | 37 | IRS as a whole, e.g. the “enterprise”? Please clarify. | The "enterprise" references the Contractor's deployed solutions for active task orders. | |
| SOO | Section C.4: Success Criteria for On-Going Services Section: C.6.4.3 Page: C-42 | 38 | Can the government provide additional clarification on what is meant by “no unacceptable results”? | Unacceptable results are those which cause the operation of the IRS.gov environment to be compromised. The Offerors are expected to propose a taxonomy for acceptable and unacceptable results. | |
| SOO | Paragraph 5.0 (Performance Management), Page C-21 | 39 | Is this an acceptable location to include this material? | Please see solicitation Section L, "L.9.1 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION", the QASP will be included in "Volume II - Technical Proposal" under "Tab B.2". | |
| SOO | Paragraph C.4.4.1.8, Pages C-17, C-18 | 40 | When content that has been entered into the content management system, to support an IRS web product, is discovered to have 508 compliance defects, is it the government's intent to have the contractor or the IRS content owner remediate the content? | The content management solution (CMS) must provide the framework for systemically ensuring 508-compliance of ALL HTML content. For self-contained digital assets stored in the CMS, the content creator is responsible for ensuring that it is 508 compliant before adding it to the CMS. The IRS would be open to additional options for 508 compliance checking of digital assets submitted to the CMS. | |
| SOO | Paragraph C.6.2.1.28, Page C-25 | 41 | How long are event logs retained? How long is content retained? | For purposes of this proposal, Offerors should use the retention periods shown in the new Section J, Attachment L.13: Records Retention Guidelines for IRS Web Portal Acquisition Request for Proposals document. Updated retention period guidelines will be provided at the appropriate time after contract award. | |
| SOO | Paragraph C.4.4.1.6, and Section H.2 | 42 | Will the Government clarify the provision for EVMS? | The requirement for EVMS is further described in Section J, Attachment L.1, Treasury EVM Guide, Section J, Attachment L.1.1, National Defense Industrial Associated (NDIA) Earned Value Management Systems Intent Guide, and In Section L.5 Program Management and Integration Services, Section 2.1.1, #10. | |
| SOO | Paragraph C.4.4.1.6, and Section H.2 | 43 | EVMS typically applies in cost reimbursable contracts. It would appear that the Contractor Benchmarking clause would satisfy that which EVMS addresses. Can the Government clarify its approach to EVMS given the contractor benchmarking clause? | The IRS policy, Policy and Procedures Memorandum No, 34-2, Earned Value Management System, states that "EVM is to be applied to contractor efforts regardless of contract type." The purpose of Benchmarking is stated in Section B-8, Contractor Benchmarking, and is used to evaluate program services levels and program fees against current market values. | |
| Section E | Performance Summary Table | 44 | Please confirm that this measure accounts for exceptions for downtime for scheduled maintenance on PUP as it does for EUP and RUP. | Yes. Downtime for scheduled maintenance is not considered an "outage attributed to the application development". | |
| Section E | Performance Summary Table | 45 | The contractor understands the criticality of the SLAs; however, will the Government consider establishing a 10% cap on withholding amounts at the Task Order level. Such potential unlimited withholding is not typical and such penalties would become punitive when combined with other remedies. The contractor does not believe that is the Government’s intent. | No. | |
| Section E | Performance Summary Table | 46 | What is the earn-back mechanism to recover withholding during Task Order performance for monthly invoice? | There is no earn-back mechanism. | |
| Section F | Paragraph F.4 (Place of Performance), Page F-1 | 47 | Please confirm that the two hour travel restriction implies that at least one of the contractor’s sites must be within the 2-hour range and that contractors may elect to perform portions of the work outside the national capital region (for example, a 2nd data center located further than 2 hours from the Government site). | It is not the Government's intention to specify the location of the data centers. Designated Contractor personnel will be expected to arrive and meet with Government representatives in person in the National Capitol Region within two hours notice. See revised F.4 Place of Performance | |
| Section F | Paragraph F.7.2 (Fixed Price Task order Reports | 48 | Please provide Figure J.9.5. | The reference to "Figure J.9.5" in the solicitation has been deleted. | |
| Section G | Paragraph G.5 Award Fee, Page G-3 | 49 | Please clarify if paragraph G.5 is only applicable to award fee tasks. | Yes, G.5 is only applicable to award fee task orders. | |
| Section G | Paragraph G.8.1 Voucher Payment, Page G-6 | 50 | Would this requirement pertain to all contract types used? | G.8.1 has been revised and applies to fixed price task orders. | |
| Section H | Paragraph H.27 Technology Upgrades | 51 | Please confirm that Offerors under the FFP Managed Service contract will have discretion to perform Technology changes without Government approval, provided the Offeror continues to meet all contract requirements and meet or exceed all performance standards. | No, see "H.28 Technology Upgrades / Refreshment / Insertion" for requirements. | |
| Section H | Paragraph H.6 Government Furnished Items, Page H-8 | 52 | May Offerors consider existing IRS enterprise software licenses as GFE/GFP? If yes, would IRS please provide a current list of available GFE/GFP? | No. | |
| Section H | Paragraph H.28 (Documentation, Escrow, and Software Code), Page H-25 | 53 | Could the IRS please confirm that the requirement for source code escrow only applies to the source code, configuration files and modifications made by the contractor? Placing all source code used in all COTS packages under this contract could place undue burden on the prime contractor given the variety of COTS packages that may be integrated under this contract. | The Government's intention is to apply the source code escrow policy to all source code developed by the Contractor and all source code transitioned into operations under this agreement including IRS.gov applications listed in Section J, Section L.6 Attachment - IRS.gov Applications. | |
| Section H | Paragraph H.26, Page H-23 | 54 | Please explain the intended application of this clause to the various task order types contemplated under the resulting agreement. | The intended application of this clause is to protect the Government from being charged excessive pass-through costs. | |
| Section H | Paragraph H.26, Page H-23 | 55 | Will the government consider replacing H.26 with FAR 52.215-23 Price Reduction For Defective Cost or Pricing Data – Modifications, with application to the reimbursement portion of any T&M order? | No. | |
| Section H | Paragraph H.30 Notification of Unsatisfactory Performance | 56 | Will the Government clarify this provision as it relates to incidental/consequential damages and re-procurement costs? Such damages without limitation are not typical. Modifying this provision would be beneficial to the Government by enabling contractors to reasonably price the risk associated with a firm-fixed price offering. | The Government will make every effort to ensure that any damages sought after are representative of actual value. The provision shall remain in the contract. | |
| Section H | Paragraph H.30 Notification of Unsatisfactory Performance | 57 | Will the Government consider inserting a standard inspection and acceptance clause to replace the current clause? | No. | |
| Section I | 58 | Given the contract type contemplated in the Solicitation, will the Government include the following standard FAR clauses? 52.216-29 TIME-AND-MATERIALS/LABOR-HOUR PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS—NON-COMMERCIAL ITEM ACQUISITION WITH ADEQUATE PRICE COMPETITION (FEB 2007) ; 52.216-30 TIME-AND-MATERIALS/LABOR-HOUR PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS—NON-COMMERCIAL ITEM ACQUISITION WITHOUT ADEQUATE PRICE COMPETITION (FEB 2007) ; 52.216-31 TIME-AND-MATERIALS/LABOR-HOUR PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS—COMMERCIAL ITEM ACQUISITION (FEB 2007) ; 52.252-3 ALTERATIONS IN SOLICITATION (APR 1984) ; 52.252-4 ALTERATIONS IN CONTRACT (APR 1984); 52.252-5 AUTHORIZED DEVIATIONS IN PROVISIONS (APR 1984) | The appropriate clauses will be incorporated in the future, if needed, at the Task Order level. | ||
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.1 PRICE BOOK | 59 | The naming for the Call Center/Help Desk labor categories is not consistent between these two documents. Which document takes precedence? B.1 (Price Book): Call Center Manager, Senior Call Center Specialist, Junior Call Center Specialist; Customer Service Representative (CSR) B.2 (Labor Categories): Help Desk Manager, Senior Help Desk Specialist, Junior Help Desk Specialist, Help Desk Customer Service Representative (CSR) | The Price Book labor categories in B.1 have been revised to reflect the labor categories descriptions in B.2. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.1 PRICE BOOK | 60 | Given the format of the price book, how will the IRS determine unit costs and competitive service fee rates? | Please refer to Section M.8 Price Evaluation Factor of the Solicitation. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.1 PRICE BOOK | 61 | Will the IRS accept a “service catalog” offering in lieu of specific personnel, equipment, and software? The service catalog would include services, service levels, service units, and unit fee rates. | No. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.1 PRICE BOOK | 62 | Should labor rates for the Price Book be at government site or contractor site? | The labor Price Book labor rates should assume a Contractor site. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.3 TASK ORDER PRICING SHEETS | 63 | Will cost performance be assessed by: Total annual cost for each TO- Cost for phase by year for each TO- Cost by service for each TO. If the contractor is successful in delivering the fifteen services at the prescribed service levels within the FPAF budget, will the IRS also assess cost performance at the service level or by period of performance? | The Government will assess Cost Performance as described in Attachment H.5 (Award Fee Plan), paragraph A.2.5, using the Cost Performance Factors in Table 0-3. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.3 TASK ORDER PRICING SHEETS | 64 | The Government states that "proposed prices must be fully burdened and include profit", please confirm that this is a Base Fee. | No. We do not understand the term "Base Fee". | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.3 TASK ORDER PRICING SHEETS | 65 | The Government states, "Subcontract prices must be clearly delineated in the Offeror’s price proposal." Is the Offeror allowed to add an additional "Company" column in the Task Order Price Breakdown to identify which company the cost is attributed to? | Yes. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT B.3 TASK ORDER PRICING SHEETS | 66 | How should the contractor estimate surge in the Task Order Pricing Sheet? | The definition of "surge" is not known. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 3, Paragraph 2.1.1.7 | 67 | Is 100% full compliance or selective call recording a requirement? | Selective recording of 10% of total calls received per month is the requirement. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 3, Paragraph 2.1.1.7 | 68 | Is screen capture/recording a requirement? If so, at what percentage? | No, as long as a transcript of the chat session is available. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 3, Paragraph 2.1.1.7 | 69 | What is the retention/storage length for recordings? | Please refer to the response for Question #41. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 3, Paragraph 2.1.1.7 | 70 | Does IRS need the ability to access recordings directly or only as requested? | The IRS does not need direct access to recordings. Refer to page 3, paragraph 2.1.1.7 in revised Section J, Section L.2 Attachment - Website Help Desk Task Order Performance Work Statement the for call recording requirements. Also refer to page 5, paragraph 2.1.1.20 in the revised document for call monitoring requirements. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 3, Paragraph 2.1.1.2 | 71 | For the addition of language support above English and Spanish would it be acceptable to utilize translation vendor instead of adding additional multi-lingual CSRs? | No. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 4, Paragraph 2.1.1.15 | 72 | Would IRS prefer a vanity toll free if available? | No. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 8, Paragraph 2.2.1.4 | 73 | Can the Government identify what tools the current incumbent is using to track and log escalations? | No. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 9, Exit Criteria Table: Requirement E.1.2.3. | 74 | CSR clearances, what level of clearance is required? | Refer to Section H.20 Security Requirements in the Managed Services for IRS Enterprise Portals Solicitation. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 12, Paragraph 2.3.1.23 | 75 | Will the IRS impose rules for purging data? If so, what are the expected rules? | Please refer to the response for Question #41. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Page 12, Paragraph 2.1.1.19 | 76 | Is the expectation that the contractor is to provide IRS access to the Help Desk application or would we simply forward escalations via some agreed upon communication path? | The offeror should propose a solution, but at a minimum, the solution must have electronic communication approved by the IRS that can be utilized behind the IRS firewall. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.1.1.7 | 77 | Please list the Witness Systems call recording capabilities implemented today by the IRS? | A change has been made. The Offeror should propose what functionality they will offer as part of their solution. Refer to page 3, paragraph 2.1.1.7 in the revised Section J, Section L.2 Attachment - Website Help Desk Task Order Performance Work Statement. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.1.1.9 | 78 | What ACD is currently in place? | A change has been made. Refer to page 3, paragraph 2.1.1.9 in revised Section J, Section L.2 Attachment - Website Help Desk Task Order Performance Work Statement for requirements. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.1.1.9 | 79 | Is there a minimum set of ACD capabilities or is it left to the provider to define those? | A change has been made. Refer to page 3, paragraph 2.1.1.9 in revised Section J, Section L.2 Attachment - Website Help Desk Task Order Performance Work Statement for requirements. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.1.1.9 | 80 | If there are a minimum set of ACD capabilities required, what are the ACD capabilities implemented today by the IRS? | A change has been made. Refer to page 3, paragraph 2.1.1.9 in revised Section J, Section L.2 Attachment - Website Help Desk Task Order Performance Work Statement for requirements. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.1.1.24 Table 2-1 (Forecast for E-mail, Calls, and Chat through 2012), Page 5 | 81 | Given that estimates for forecasted e-mail, calls, and chat are provided through 2012, and given the note at the bottom of Table 2-1; should Offerors assume a 10% growth rate for email, 5% growth rate for calls, and 10% growth rate for chat (year-over-year) for years past 2012? | Yes. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.2.3 (Exit Criteria for the Transition Phase) Line E.1.2.3, | ||||
| Page 9 & Section H, Paragraph H.20.1, Page H-13 | 82 | Will CSR staff be required to undergo an MBI clearance process? | Yes. | ||
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.3.1.23, Page 12 | 83 | Could IRS please further define the records retention requirements it wishes Offerors to meet in their proposed solutions? | Please refer to the response for Question #41. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 1.1, Page 1 | 84 | To ensure consistency among Offerors, please provide the (Base Year) Period of Performance dates for Task Order 1. | Exact dates for the Task Orders will be dependent upon the Contract Award Date. The period of performance will be from date of award through 12 months thereafter, with two option periods following. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.2 HELP DESK: Paragraph 2.1.1.21, Page 4 | 85 | The IRS provides numbers of contacts in the referenced table. Can the IRS also provide an “Average Handle Time” assumption it wishes all Offerors to use? | Refer to Table 6.4.2 Channel Statistics in Section J, Section L.10 Attachment - Current State of the Portals and Help Desk Environment. | |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.1.17, a, b and c | 86 | I cannot find data in the Current State of the Portals and Help Desk Environment to indicate which Web Browsers or Operating Systems that the Contractor must demonstrate are supported (d). Obviously, these data must be parlayed into how the test and integration environments are configured. Is this data available? | The browsers and operating systems supported in the current IRS.gov solution are evaluated and updated every six months. A final list will be provided at the appropriate time after award. The current browser and O/S combinations are: |
1. Internet Explorer 6.x with Windows XP
2. Internet Explorer 7.x with Windows XP, Windows Vista
3. Internet Explorer 8.x with Windows XP, Windows Vista
4. Firefox 3.0 with Windows XP, Windows Vista, MAC OSX
5. Safari 2.0 with Windows XP, Windows Vista, MAC OSX
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.3.1.17, Page 31 | 87 | Please clarify the term "Value Engineering". Does “Value Engineering imply a share in savings model? If so, how would the share work? | As discussed in Section H, paragraph H.1, this acquisition is a Performance-Based Acquisition wherein the Contractor is given the flexibility to propose innovative solutions that allow it to operate more cost-effectively. Accordingly, the Contractor is able to reap savings through implementing its own best practices without onerous Government oversight. However, to ensure that the Contractor continues to implement process improvements, any proposal submitted by the Contractor that is accepted by the Government will be considered positively in both the Evaluation of Management Performance and the Evaluation of Cost Performance conducted in accordance with the Award Fee Plan in Section J, Attachment H.5. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraphs 2.1.3.8, 2.1.3.10 | 88 | What languages need to be supported for spell checking and ‘additional search term suggestion’ functionality? | Please refer to Paragraphs 2.1.2.12 and 2.1.3.14 in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement for language support. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraphs 2.1.3.8, 2.1.3.10 | 89 | Is English enough for this or must it also support Russian, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish? | Please refer to Paragraphs 2.1.2.12 and 2.1.3.14 in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement for language support. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE:32, Web Operations Task Order | 90 | There is a requirement to perform end-to-end system performance monitoring, including event, performance and resource utilization. What application specific parameters are required to be monitored? | Offerors are encouraged to propose a comprehensive list of parameters in their proposal. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraphs 2.1.1.4.3 and 2.1.1.4.4 | 91 | Is it correct to assume that data archival is synonymous with data backup or is the intent to provide more sophisticated database archival support? If the latter, what are the requirements for data archival? | No. Back-up is for system restoration in case of emergency and system failure. This requirement pertains to Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.2.9 d | 92 | What is the expected frequency of access from other IRS systems and from other external systems? | Frequency of access is currently unknown, but will be required in the future. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.2.9 d | 93 | What is considered "usable" format? | Refer to Section 2.1.2.9 (b) and (l) in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. The Offeror is requested to propose a solution with other formats that can be supported. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.2.9 d | 94 | Would XML / RSS access meet the requirement, or must the CMS support the native formats expected by the calling systems? | Refer to Paragraphs 2.1.2.9 (b) and (l) in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. The Offeror is requested to propose a solution with other formats that can be supported. |
| SOO | Service 7: Web Operations and Maintenance; Paragraph 4.2.6.5 | 95 | Please describe IRS Enterprise Management Systems the Web Operation is meant to integrate with and the level of integration desired. | As documented in Section J, Section L.10 Attachment - Current State of the Portals and Help Desk Environment, the IRS Enterprise Management System is Tivoli. The Offeror is requested to propose a solution that will integrate with EMS while supporting the objectives in Section C - Statement of Objectives. |
| SOO | Service 8: Web Operations Content Management | 96 | Is the new content management capability to be interpreted as a new content management solution or does it simply refer to added capabilities to the existing enterprise content management solution? | Refer to Paragraph 2.1.2.2 on page 10 in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. This is a new content management capability. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.2, Page(s) 10 | 97 | Can you elaborate on what is meant by application-to-application channels for content management? It would help if you could provide examples of the kind of channels available in the current CMS. | Application-to-Application channels means the sharing of content objects or digital assets between different applications. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.4, Page(s) 10 | 98 | How many content type definitions does the current CMS implementation support? Some examples would help. | A change has been made to Paragraph 2.1.2.4 in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.4, Page(s) 10 | 99 | What do you mean by content area? | For purposes of the solicitation, a content area is a content storage repository in the CMS. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.5, Page(s) 10 | 100 | What are total number of content objects in RUP and EUP? | As depicted in Section J, Section L.10 Attachment - Current State of the Portals and Help Desk Environment, there are no content objects in the CMS for the RUP/EUP with the exception of one landing page. Details of total objects will be provided when the task order is issued for the transition of the RUP and EUP. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.6, Page(s) 11 | 101 | Does this solicitation want the CMS to provide capability for developing and configuring dynamic interactive content as part of the product features? | Yes. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.6, Page(s) 11 | 102 | Can this feature be made available as third party solution integrated with CMS? | Yes. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.7, Page(s) 11 | 103 | How many or what is the total number of workflows in the current implementation? | A change has been made to Paragraph 2.1.2.7 in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.7 (c), Page(s) 11 | 104 | Can you further elaborate on workflow categories? | At a minimum, the CMS must include the workflow categories of create, review, approve, publish, and emergency publish. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.8 (j), Page(s) 11 | 105 | What do you mean by push the content to new IRS site after every 30 minutes? | A change has been made to Paragraph 2.1.2.9 (i) in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.8 (j), Page(s) 11 | 106 | Does that mean typically content is always published in batches unless there is an emergency? | Please refer to the response to Question 105 and this requirement has been deleted in 2.1.2.9. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.8 (k), Page(s) 11 | 107 | Can more elaboration be provided on the reports for administrative and performance purposes? | A change has been made to Paragraph 2.1.2.9 (j) in Section J, Section L.3 Attachment - Web Operations Task Order Performance Work Statement. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.8 (m), Page(s) 11 | 108 | Does this solicitation asking for the ability to add new content to the site too in addition to content changes when connectivity between infrastructure and CMS is broken? | Yes, the solicitation is asking for the ability to add new content to the site; in addition to content changes when connectivity between infrastructure and CMS is broken. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.8 (m), Page(s) 11 | 109 | Does the system need to support content changes even when connectivity between infrastructure and CMS is broken as part of product or services? | Yes. IRS requires a means to make "emergency" updates to content on the Web site at all times. In the event of CMS downtime, the contractor must provide an alternative content posting method. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.9 (d), Page(s) 11-12 | 110 | How many other external systems would need to be provided with content other than ETLA? | This information is unknown at this time. Information will be provided at award. The offeror should include their assumptions in their proposal. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.9 9 (e), Page(s) 11-12 | 111 | What is the current IRS Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) technology? | IRS is using Siteminder LDAP technology for RUP and EUP. IRS is not using any LDAP technology for IRS.gov (PUP). |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.10 (b), Page(s) 12-13 | 112 | What are the different types of delivery channels apart from web within the scope of this RFP? | Delivery channels include IRS.gov and other Web sites owned by IRS, RSS, podcast and listserv at a minimum. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.10, Page(s) 12-13 | 113 | Is there any published IRS taxonomy that will be used in CMS? If yes, can that be shared? | The taxonomy is not complete at this time. It will be provided at the appropriate time after award. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.14, Page(s) 14 | 114 | As part of content migration, do you want all versions of content or just the latest version that has been published on www.irs.gov? | Only the latest version that has been published on www.irs.gov will be migrated. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.14 (a), Page(s) 14 | 115 | Can we assume that 3 current versions will be migrated into the new CMS? | Only the latest version that has been published on www.irs.gov will be migrated. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2.16 (a), Page(s) 14 | 116 | Can more detail be provided on the list of other repositories that exist within IRS that would need to be integrated with the CMS? | This is unknown at this time but will be required for future use. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.3.2.10 (e), Page(s) 32 | 117 | Can more explanation be provided by what is meant by ‘maintain the CMS solution for transmitting and running 508-compliant streaming media’? | 2.1.2.13 establishes the requirement for the CMS to capture, store, retrieve, approve, distribute, transmit and manage rich multi-media content such as video, film, audio, large images, and graphics. 2.3.2.10(e) applies to maintenance of that capability (which must provide Section 508-compliant output). Also refer to the response provided in Question #40. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.3.2.31 (e), Page(s) 34 | 118 | What are the currently supported Browsers and Operating Systems? | Refer to the answer provided for Question #86. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.2.4.1 (e), Page(s) 26 | 119 | It is our understanding that WebTrends Live is currently used for reporting on content usage - will the reports be provided to the Contractor is an open-standards format for consumption in the new reporting system? Is the contractor required to include historical data (i.e. 3 years prior to the start of the contract) for reporting? | IRS expects the Contractor to coordinate with the current IRS.gov hosting contractor to ensure a smooth transition of all available Web traffic data. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.2, Page(s) 34 | 120 | Is there any single sign-on application that the current CMS integrates with? | No. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3, Page(s) 16 | 121 | Will the IRS allow the tracking of browser cookie for this Solicitation? | Yes, session cookies are allowed. Any use of persistent cookies must comply with OMB guidelines. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3.5, Page(s) 16 | 122 | Can IRS provide some more details on “customization of search results”? | Ability to manipulate the way search results are presented, possibly including elevation of certain items in the results listing, flexibility of sorting the results, etc. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3, Page(s) 16 | 123 | As a part of search solution for PUP, is there any content which restricted to a set of users? | No, PUP content is not restricted by user type. Refer to the response to Question #122. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3, Page(s) 16 | 124 | Can IRS provide some current search statistics of the usage of “simple search”, advance search etc? | This information will provided to the Contractor at the appropriate time after award. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3, Page(s) 16 | 125 | Can IRS provide the top 100 keywords/phrases of the search for a duration of one year or so? | This information will provided to the Contractor at the appropriate time after award. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3.7, Page(s) 16 | 126 | Can IRS provide some more details on “IRS specific terminology”? | This is referring to terms that are related to tax administration and not generally accommodated "out of the box". Specific terminology will provided to the Contractor at the appropriate time after award. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3.13, Page(s) 16 | 127 | Is IRS considering to group the data based on certain attributes and call them repositories or is it referring to some existing repositories other than the public content of www.irs.gov? | This is referring to the indexing of IRS.gov content only. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.3.15, Page(s) 17 | 128 | Can IRS provide some more details on “set of repositories”? | The IRS has multiple content repositories currently. At a minimum, the solution should be able to search one, all, or any combination of available repositories. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.5, Page(s) 19 | 129 | In the table, line D.2.1.7, what does this mean: “including a plan for parallel operations”? | The Offeror will provide a plan in the Build-Out Phase of how to run a parallel of the new IRS.gov and the current IRS.gov during the Transition Phase. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph(s) 2.1.5, Page(s) 19 | 130 | Is the new contractor (offeror) expected to plan to support the current solution created by Accenture? | No. The incumbent is expected to operate and continue to support the current IRS.gov environment under the existing contract during the Build-Out Phase and potential parallel operation of the current environment during the Transition Phase. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.3.9, Page 16 | 131 | Does the IRS mean the ability to auto-suggest or “search-as-you-type” functionality? If not, can the IRS please clarify the functionality desired by providing a business scenario to illustrate how the “context-sensitive help capability” is expected to function? | Contractors are requested to propose a solution for the Context-sensitive help function. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.1.36, Page 9 | 132 | Does "existing applications using current technology" refer to current irs.gov / RUP/EUP applications or to applications that have been transitioned to the new irs.gov? | The Integration Testing Environment must support migration of the applications listed in Section J, Attachment L.6 – IRS.gov Applications, which will be developed in accordance with requirements outlined in Paragraph 2.1.2.3 Web Application Development and Maintenance in Section J, Attachment L.4 Section 2.1.2.3 – Web Application Services Task Order. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.2.2, Page 10 | 133 | Which federal requirements is the IRS referring to? | Please refer to the Appendix A - Overarching IRS Program Level Requirements in Section J, Section L.5 Attachment - Program Management & Integration Services Task Order Performance Work Statement and in The Bidders Library List. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.2.9a, Page 11 | 134 | Should Offerors assume that the full information architecture will be available upon contract award? | The Information Architecture will be provided to the Contractor at the appropriate time after award. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.2.9b, Page 12 | 135 | To clarify the IRS’ intent, would you please provide a use case example of an aggregated content view that is expected? | IRS expects the capability to import selected content and data from multiple sources and then manipulate the content and data to tailor display to support business goals. |
| Section J | ATTACHMENT L.3 WEB OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE: Paragraph 2.1.2.13, Page 14 | 136 | Could IRS please provide expected volumes of rich content (number of items, and average size) annually for 2011 and beyond? | This information is not currently available and will be provided to the Contractor at the appropriate time after award. |
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